The good news is, I took Maks and Kiska for their wellness exams and they are both in excellent health. Kiska does have a little swelling on the left side gums, so I need to find something to help with that.

Bad news, Oksana yet again is having cystitis. I've come to believe her problem is anxiety/stress related. Last week Vlad and Maks were particularly bossy and were bothering her too much for her taste. To be clear, Vlad and Maks bother the other girls too, the only thing is, Czari swats and starts to run after them so they back off. Kiska fights back as well, but Oksana just lays on her back, paws up, nails out hissing and growling. I know that eggs Vlad on.

I left a message for the vet to call me when she's back on schedule. I want to discuss trying some medication. I've tried going the natural route, and I've tried diffusers in the past and they haven't worked. Until I speak with the vet, I've been giving her the xanax that didn't work on Vlad. I gave her some yesterday and she seemed a lot less apprehensive around the others.

ETA: I forgot to mention, Maks is up to 15 pounds!!!! Yikes. I still see him as this little kitty. When the vet told me how much he weighed I looked at him on the examination table and realized, my little guy isn't so little anymore. Luckily, he's got a long slim body.

hazelrunpack

April 27th, 2010, 09:33 AM

Bummer about the cystitis, AG. :( I hope the vet can get Oksana some meds that will help her out, poor girl!

mummummum

April 27th, 2010, 09:39 AM

AG ~ can cranberry extract be used with cats? It was the ONLY thing that cured Ceili. We spent a small fortune on antibiotics before figuring this out.

ancientgirl

April 27th, 2010, 09:43 AM

AG ~ can cranberry extract be used with cats? It was the ONLY thing that cured Ceili. We spent a small fortune on antibiotics before figuring this out.

mx3, the last time she had this problem I tried the marshmallow root. She would barely eat her food when I mixed the powder with it, and if I just sprinkled on top of her food, she'd eat around it. I hesitate to mix anything in her food. She's smart, a little too smart.:frustrated:

mummummum

April 27th, 2010, 09:48 AM

I've never tasted marshmallow root myself so I can't comment. Pilling my dogs is easy so I can't complain. Except for Declan, who, well let's just say I still have cement-hard Pepto on my ceiling :laughing: as a result of my efforts. I used to puree liver when I need to give him anything.

ancientgirl

April 27th, 2010, 09:52 AM

Pilling Oksana is an adventure. When I've taken her to the vet and she needed to be pilled, it would take 2 people to get a pill in her, after about 15 minutes, 2 ruined pills and Oksana pooping all over the table. It's hard enough giving her liquid medication, but at least I can pretty much handle that on my own. Anything I'd get to give her would have to either come in liquid form or a gel or cream.

mummummum

April 27th, 2010, 09:56 AM

Hmmm... I've never looked for it in liquid form but there's no reason why you couldn't dump the powder from the capsule and dissolve it in something delicious and liquid. I've had cystitis myself and :yell: I have BIG sympathy for your wee one.

ancientgirl

April 27th, 2010, 10:02 AM

I'll see if the health food store has some on my way home.

I've had cystitis myself, so yes I know how bad my girl is feeling. :(

mummummum

April 27th, 2010, 10:07 AM

I used Mega-Cran with Ceil's. Knocked it out of her within days. I can't give you any advice on dosing I'm afraid. In addition to being anti-bacterial etc. it does adjust the PH in the urine though so mind that if she is on a special diet.

ancientgirl

April 27th, 2010, 10:16 AM

The problem though, the last 2 or 3 times she's had it they really could find no bacteria or anything. So pretty much, cause unknown, which is why we were leaning on the idiopathic cystitis.

mummummum

April 27th, 2010, 10:22 AM

I know ~ which is how we ended up with a battery of half-used anti-biotics. :frustrated:

ancientgirl

April 27th, 2010, 10:34 AM

It's so hard when they can't tell us what the problem is. Oksana is a good girl, but I firmly believe she would be happier either being the only cat, or one of two. I've been reading that this kind of cystitis occurs many times in households with multiple cats.

I'm going to try the anxiety/stress meds. I think if she is less afraid of fighting back she'll be happier, because once she starts to fight back, the boys will be less apt to bully her.

Love4himies

April 27th, 2010, 11:09 AM

Then you must rehome her immediately!!!!!!!!!! My address is: 45 Tu....., no, wait, crap, I have Sour Pea :yell: who will pick on her endlessly :yell: so she won't get better :(.

Sorry, AG, thought I could help :( :laughing::laughing:

Seriously, poor Oksana :grouphug:. Does she get any time locked away from the :evil: Vlad and Maks for some relax time?

ancientgirl

April 27th, 2010, 11:31 AM

Then you must rehome her immediately!!!!!!!!!! My address is: 45 Tu....., no, wait, crap, I have Sour Pea :yell: who will pick on her endlessly :yell: so she won't get better :(.

Sorry, AG, thought I could help :( :laughing::laughing:

Seriously, poor Oksana :grouphug:. Does she get any time locked away from the :evil: Vlad and Maks for some relax time?

Nice try. :laughing:

For a while, I was putting her in the bathroom while I was at work. But I felt really guilty. The bathroom isn't huge and the only window it has is up high and it's frosted. She loves looking out the window. I have a little microwave cart where the window at the bottom of the stairs is, and that's her favorite spot. I know that's like the one thing she really loves to do, and shutting her in the bathroom takes that away. I wish I had an extra room, or at the very least, had the ability to put a door to close off the bedroom, but that's pretty much impossible.

mummummum

April 27th, 2010, 01:35 PM

You live in an open-plan loft don't you AG...

ancientgirl

April 27th, 2010, 02:42 PM

You live in an open-plan loft don't you AG...

Yeah, I do. There are definite disadvantages to it. Not being able to have a bedroom door or window in the loft area for instance.

chico2

April 27th, 2010, 04:18 PM

Aww AG,poor Oksana:grouphug:
If I ever had to put a pill down Rockys throat I would end up in the hospital.
I mash his pill in a soup-spoon,add some of his food and he licks it up,I have to do that 3 times/day.
Maybe it would work with Oksana,Tapazole that Rocky is on,is supposed to taste really bad,but he does not notice.
Good luck with your little girl:pray:

As for Maks weighing 15lb's,sounds perfectly fine to me,Rocky used to weigh 16lb before he got sick and he was never fat,just a big beautiful boy..

Love4himies

April 27th, 2010, 04:51 PM

I was able to get Rose's pills into her by waiting until she was really hungry and putting the pill in some sardines. She also loves cheese balls and she ate a worming pill wrapped in that.

ancientgirl

April 27th, 2010, 05:32 PM

Chico, that's how Maks is. My little/big boy. :laughing::laughing:

Oksana doesn't fall for a pill in her food, and I've tried the crushing thing too. I'm telling you, it's like she knows!:frustrated:

L4H, do you mean real cheese balls or like cheesy puffs? The girl at the vets office that took my message for the vet, said some pills can be compounded. I have to look into that.

Love4himies

April 27th, 2010, 05:37 PM

Real cheeseballs, like the ones you serve with crackers at parties. Rose is a cheese lover, maybe it has something to do with her French background :laughing:

ancientgirl

April 27th, 2010, 05:54 PM

Real cheeseballs, like the ones you serve with crackers at parties. Rose is a cheese lover, maybe it has something to do with her French background :laughing:

Hmm...interesting. I see a cheese ball in our future. I'll try anything. What flavor does Rose like?

Winston

April 27th, 2010, 07:27 PM

AG I am so sorry your having some issues with Oksana again....I just wanted to say that I can soooo relate to the problem having 2 kitties with it!

Having said that I am somewhat skeptical of the diagnosis. I have talked to sooo many people with cats that get to a certain age and some not old and the cat or cats start this inappropriate behaviour usually urinating outside the box. Vets seem to automatically want to pill the cats with behaviour modification type pills when sometimes its something simple and sometimes not so simple. I guess what I am trying to say is that they diagnose it too fast and dont try other methods.

I have been using a combination of colidal silver and d-mannose to help Bomber with the cystitus because he as you know has been having problems too. Thank you so much to SCM for the valuable info! So far so good. I have him only on a maintenance amount of the d-mannose and cut out the colidal silver now. He has not had any of the metcam since I started the above. It hasnt been perfect but he hasnt pee'd outside of the box now for at least 10 days! (as i go run knock on wood! )

It sounds like stress more than anything to me and I am wondering if Oksana just needs her space? a place to go and chill out where no one bothers her? I know we dont like this for our kittys and we want them to be social but Oksana may just be different?? Not trying to change your mind but help you think about some of it? maybe your vet will have some good advice for you! :thumbs up

Cindy

ancientgirl

April 28th, 2010, 07:22 AM

Winston, I've tried putting her in the bathroom on her own, but I have a feeling that might cause her more stress. There is very little light coming in because of the frosted window, and she's really got nothing that might keep her occupied.

She's never urinated outside the box though. She always goes in the box *knock on wood*.

I've been giving her some xanax for the last couple of days, and I've noticed she does seem a little more social. Not so much with the others, but she wants to hang out around me more and she's been sleeping right against me. And yesterday she actually somewhat defended herself against Maks. So I'm wondering if the pills are making her feel less afraid.:shrug:

mummummum

April 28th, 2010, 07:40 AM

I vaguely recall a pic of your loft. Is there any way to "x-pen" the entire upstairs bedroom area?

ancientgirl

April 28th, 2010, 07:52 AM

I vaguely recall a pic of your loft. Is there any way to "x-pen" the entire upstairs bedroom area?

I do have lattice on most of it, but there is a section next to the stairs that are open and there is no door. It can be done, but I would need help in the form of someone really handy, plus I don't have the money right now.

mummummum

April 28th, 2010, 08:00 AM

Oh yeah...I remember the lattice! I hear ya on the $$$$ ... if only we could get our monkees to shed money instead of fur. :D

Love4himies

April 28th, 2010, 08:02 AM

Hmm...interesting. I see a cheese ball in our future. I'll try anything. What flavor does Rose like?

The vegetable one. I don't give her any of the outside that has the veggies stuck to it, just the inside. It is the only food that she will get excited enough to jump up on the table. Puddles loves it too.

ancientgirl

April 28th, 2010, 08:06 AM

3xM yeah, shedding money would work perfectly fine with me.:laughing:

L4H, I'm going to look for some at the grocery store this weekend. She really does LOVE cheese.